TheStreet would like to highlight 5 stocks pushing the sector higher today:

5. Equity Residential ( EQR) is one of the companies pushing the Financial sector higher today. As of noon trading, Equity Residential is up $1.28 (2.5%) to $53.02 on light volume. Thus far, 678,500 shares of Equity Residential exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 1.9 million shares. The stock has ranged in price between $52.15-$53.14 after having opened the day at $52.15 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $51.74.

Equity Residential, a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, development, and management of multifamily properties in the United States. Equity Residential has a market cap of $18.7 billion and is part of the real estate industry. Shares are down 8.7% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are 5 analysts that rate Equity Residential a buy, 1 analyst rates it a sell, and 12 rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Equity Residential as a hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, compelling growth in net income and notable return on equity. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself, weak operating cash flow and poor profit margins. Get the full Equity Residential Ratings Report now.